The Orphan
by Mystic Kintoun
Summary: A boy, shunned because of his appearance since childhood, was founded by Kagome in her own time. It's up to Inuyasha and Co. to help him become a normal teenager, but the question remains: what is he?


A/N: I realize that many of today's reading audience (especially in the IY section) have high standards for fan stories, such as word usage, originality, etc.  There are so many IY stories, but there are only a few great ones out there that have more than 100 reviews for maybe just 5 or more chapters.  No offense to the others out there because I sympathize with you.  

I've tried my damndest on this story and enjoyed writing it, but I know there are many defects I can't find, and I don't plan to change them until someone tells me in a review.  Depending on how many reviews there are I might just keep this a one shot and keep it up for adoption, or add a couple more chapters.  

Okay, enough with the angsty crap.  ONWARD!  

LEGEND:

"…"- talking

'…'- thinking

_words_- flashback

Enjoy! ^_^

The Orphan

By Mystic Kintoun

Chapter One: Saru, the Tailed-Freak

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

"Uggh," Kagome moaned, dragging two grocery bags behind.  "It's so _hot…_"

It was a quiet, sweaty, summer day, just like all the others.  The temperature was perfect for a swim in the pool and sunbathing.  Kagome would be doing those particularly pleasurable activities if it weren't for Inuyasha barging in again.  And exactly at the wrong time too.

~Flashback~

_Kagome stood in front of her full-length closet mirror, admiring the new swimsuit she bought on sale the other day.  It was a simple light blue two-piece with flower embroidery stitched near the edges of the top and bottom parts.  'It looks great!'  She smiled gratefully.  I can't wait until everyone sees it-'_

_"OY!"_

_Her heart almost stopped when she recognized the arrogant voice.  She turned around and, yes, it was Inuyasha, sitting dog-position on her windowsill.  He did not look very happy.  _

_"Oy, Kagome!" he repeated.  "What the hell have you been doing, it's been three fu-" Only then did he notice that she was semi-naked.  "Where are your clothes?!" His whole face turned beet red._

_Kagome's blush was just as red, but her reason to do so wasn't because of embarrassment.  "INUYASHA!" she screamed. "SIT!"___

_Inuyasha crashed onto the wood floor face down.  He soon got up seething, and forgot at the moment why he felt mortified earlier.  "Why the hell did you d-!" He remembered why when he saw Kagome yet again.  He spun around, his face once more flushed._

_"It's a bathing suit, stupid!" She grabbed a towel hanging in her closet and wrapped it around herself.  "You can look now."_

_"Y-you sure?"  Inuyasha slightly rotated his head.   _

_"Yes!" she exclaimed, sounding a little annoyed._

_Inuyasha turned around fully, and his face was singed scarlet. Despite how pathetic he looked right then, he wasn't going to lose this argument this time.  "What do you need a suit to bathe in for, anyway?"___

_"Not for bathing, swimming!  My gosh, you've already seen one of these!"___

_The beloved couple fought for the next fifteen minutes or so, and to their surprise, Inuyasha won, due to the fact that he had some actual good reasons, that Kagome "went easy" on him (she gave him two sits than the usual eight at one sitting), and that the author of this story was being lazy.___

_Kagome sighed in defeat.  "Okay, okay.  Just let me go get the things from the store and I'll be back," she said.  _

_ "Keh," he replied, "and hurry up!" He jumped out the window and returned to the well._

~End Flashback~

'And I was supposed to meet up with Yuka, Eri, and Ayumi-chan at the swimming pool this afternoon.'  Kagome sighed.  She couldn't do anything about it.  She promised Inuyasha that she would return with one bag filled to the brim with instant ramen cups, and she promised Miroku more Coke, Sango a brush, Kirara a cat toy, and Shippo more lollypops.

On the walk home she passed the public swimming pool, which was surrounded by a fence.  They were playing volleyball with Hojo in the water, and it looked like they were have the time of their lives.  'I'd better go before they see me,' she thought, quickening her pace.  

Too late.

"NE, KAGOME-CHAN!" came her friends' voices.

"Higurashi!  What are you doing?" Hojo called from behind them.

'Kuso.'  She turned around and smiled awkwardly at the foursome. "Hi."

Eri climbed out of the pool and ran to the fence, beckoning Kagome to come over.  "What happened?" she asked as Kagome approached.  "I thought you were going to meet us here!"

"Sorry, but plans changed," Kagome said sulkily. 

"Why didn't you call us earlier?" 

"Because he just came out of nowhere and rushed me out," Kagome muttered under her breath.  Eri heard unfortunately.

"He?  Who's _he_? You don't mean…"  
  


'Oh no,' Kagome thought.  'Not another speech about…'

  
"… your arrogant jerk of a boyfriend, do you?  God, Kagome-chan, dump him already and go out with Hojo-kun!  Sometimes it seems like he's desperate!  Plus this guy you 'date' seems like a lunatic compared to Hojo!"

"But Eri-chan, you know I can't do that to him," she whispered, coloring slightly.  "Besides, I promised I would go out with him today, and I completely forgot about it.  Sorry…"  'Great, now she's going to think Inuyasha's forcing me to do all of this.  Well, okay, he _is _forcing me, but that's beside the point!'

Eri thought over this for a little bit, shifting her weight from one leg to another.  "You did promise him, so we'll let you off the hook for now," she concluded reluctantly.

'We'll?'  "Thanks, Eri-chan!  I'll make up for this, I promise!  Oh, and please don't tell others, especially Hojo-kun," Kagome said.

With a face of regret her friend only nodded.

"Thank you!  Ja' ne!" She waved her hand in gratitude and ran off. 

Eri sighed and returned to the pool, only to be met by confused girlfriends.  And then, being the gossiping type, she gathered them into a corner and broke her word with Kagome.

Their reactions were similar.  Yuka was first to announce her opinion. "My god," she protested.  "If my boyfriend did that to me I'd break up with him like that!"  She snapped her fingers to prove her point.  "I don't know why Kagome still dates him."  (A/N: Oh, if they only knew… those poor, deprived souls…)

"I don't know," Ayumi believed.  "I still think it's kind of romantic."

"Ayumi-chan, how could you?!" Eri and Yuka yelled simultaneously.  "We're trying to help Kagome-chan!"

"What does Higurashi need help with?" a curious voice asked behind them.

They turned around in shock. "N-nothing, Hojo-kun," all three stuttered in unison, sweat dropping.  "There's _nothing _wrong with Kagome-chan!"  They broke into high-pitched laughter and darted off, leaving a confused Hojo behind.

**~*~*~THE READERS ARE OTAKU~*~*~******

Kagome slowed down her stride to walk, thinking that there was no need to hurry.  Soon enough the sun began to set in the horizon, changing the cloudless blue sky into soft shades of pink and orange.  

She stopped at the district park to enjoy the view.  'Maybe I should hurry up and get to Inuyasha and the others,' she thought.  A mental picture of a pissed-off hanyou passed through her mind… waiting at the well… looking down at it… depressed…  "I'll make him worry," she declared, smiling mischievously.  "And if he still acts like he didn't worry at all, I'll give him a good beating."  Of course she was joking, but another mental image just popped up in her head, showing a four-foot deep Inuyasha-shaped crater in the dirt with a triumphant-looking Kagome beside it.  She giggled at the thought.  

She set down her groceries on a bench and sat down, enjoying the sight as a refreshing breeze passed by.  The atmosphere relaxed her until she noticed a few boys gathered around in one area.

"What is it?" the smallest boy asked.

"What do you mean 'what is it?'" the oldest one whispered loudly.  "It's a tail!"

Kagome leaned towards the little group, trying to catch more of their conversation.  Sometimes listening to ones younger than you talk was very entertaining.

"Yeah, but it's attached to a person!"

Kagome's smile disappeared like the sun vanishing behind gray clouds.  A tail?  Attached to a person?  She scooted herself over to the edge of the bench, wanting to know more about the finding of the trio.

The middle one spoke up.  "He looks older than us, Sasuke-kun."

"Maybe he's an alien from outer space and died here," the one called Sasuke said, picking up a stick and beginning to poke at him.

"'It,' Nii-chan, 'it'!  We don't know if 'it' is a boy or girl," claimed the youngest one.  He grabbed for his brother's stick.  "Nii-chan, let me have a turn!"

"Find your own, Haru!"

"NII-CHAN!" he bawled.  "IT'S MY TURN!  YOU NEVER SHARE WITH ME!"

'These kids are so cruel!' Kagome thought angrily.  'It's probably a fake tail, anyway.'

"Hey, he's waking up!" the other boy shouted.  The fight between the two brothers subsided.  

"He's an 'it,' Akira!" Haru corrected.

The boy, or 'it,' sat up and yawned.  Once he opened his eyes, he saw the group and became startled.  He jumped up quickly and back away from them.   The other three reacted in the same way, afraid that the 'thing' would attack them.   

Kagome was able to get a good look at 'it' once they moved over.  It wasn't even an 'it' at all.  

He was definitely older than those boys, seeing as he towered over them.  It looked like he was about twelve or thirteen.  He seemed undernourished disheveled; his jet-black hair was unevenly cut, and to go with his messy tresses he had dirty and torn clothes.  A few scars were visible on his arms and legs, and it seemed like he had a fresh cut on his shin.  There were two features of him that contradicted everything else though.  One: his clear blue eyes.  Even from a distance they stuck out like a sore thumb.  Two: his tail.  It wasn't a fake, like Kagome thought; it was a real live genuine tail.  Colored a dark brown and shaped like a monkey's, it swished around in an alarmed manner, then wrapped around the waist of its owner.

'He looks like a human, but he has a tail.  So does that mean…?'  

Haru was brave enough to ask the awaited question.  "Hey, mister," Haru hesitated uneasily, "Are you an alien?"

The lanky teen only shook his head, unable to speak.

"Th-then," Haru stuttered, "you must be a freak!"

"HARU, DON'T SAY THAT!  It might kill you!" screamed Sasuke, grabbing his brother and covering him protectively.

The young man's eyes grew wide.

Enraged, Kagome stood up and shouted, "HOW DARE YOU SAY THAT TO _HIM_ WHEN _HE_ HASN'T DONE ANYTHING AT ALL!"  She glowed red with anger, her eyes showing a colossal fire overflowing with fury.

They cowered at the sight of her.  "B-but, he has a tail-" Akira said fearfully.

"SO WHAT IF HE HAS A TAIL?  IT DOESN'T MEAN HE'S A F-" she stopped suddenly as he began to run away.  A small sparkle fell from his face.

"Oh no, he's crying!  Wait!  I'm sorry!" She grabbed her provisions and chased after him.

Sasuke, Haru, and Akira watched as Kagome and the strange boy disappeared into the distance.  They were silent for a few minutes, their eyes still large from the sight they had seen.

"I have to go now," Akira finally said.  "It's almost dinner, and Kaa-san is making tempura tonight.  Ja' ne."  He walked out of the park to the direction of his house.

"We've got to go too, Haru, or Tou-san will ground us again," Sasuke said, taking his little brother's arm.  "C'mon!"

Haru resisted.  "But, Nii-chan, what about the -"

"Let's go!"  He dragged his whining brother behind as they headed home.

~*~*~HALF THE READERS THAT HAVE STARTED THIS STORY HAVE BECOME BORED AND LEFT… THE REST ARE STILL OTAKU~*~*~

"Hey!" Kagome called after him.  "Please, stop!  Let's talk about it, please!" 

He continued to run, tail flailing behind, not once looking back.

"I know what you've been through!"

He didn't turn his head, but he shouted, "Leave me alone!"  His voice sounded hoarse, like he hadn't talked in a while.

His reply made Kagome a little irritated, but she continued with her pleas.  "Because of your tail, you were different from everyone!"

'Who can't notice that?'

"People have shunned you, haven't they?  That's why you're running away!" 

'I wouldn't blame them, but he's still human… or _humane _for that matter…'

"I know someone who-"

He tripped on his feet and fell onto the grass.

Kagome stopped and sweat dropped.  "-who lived the exact same way you do," she ended.  She dropped her bags and a battered ramen cup rolled out. Ignoring that she approached him, kneeling by the young teen's side.  "Are you okay?" she asked, holding out her hand to him.  "I'm sorry for what those boys said earlier, they had know idea what they were talking-"

He shoved her hand away, looking to the ground.  "I don't need help," he said flatly.

She gave an annoyed appearance but kept her composure.  "Look, I'm only trying to help.  I've seen many people like you being treated like they weren't human."  They weren't, literally, but it didn't mean they were out of control.  "There's this guy I know," she continued, "that was one of those people.  He never did anything wrong in his life, but they despised him because his father was… different."

He kept silent.

"I can help you out, if you want."

No response.

Soon she gave in.  "I have to go now," Kagome said, getting up and dusting herself off.  She picked up her bags and walked a little ahead until she heard him whisper a single word.

"Wait…"

She looked back.

He pointed hesitantly at the dented ramen laid on the dirt.  "Can I have that?" he asked timidly.  "I haven't eaten in a couple of days."  A loud and sudden growl emerged from his stomach, and he blushed in embarrassment.

Kagome smiled and giggled softly.  His appetite reminded her of Inuyasha.  "I don't think that this little cup will be very filling," she answered. She walked back and picked up the noodle cup, handing it to him, but then a sudden idea just hit her.  "Why don't you come and stay at my house for a little bit?" she said.  "It's not too far, there's plenty of room, and my mom's a great cook!"

The young teen looked at her, surprised and grateful, but the expression did not last long.  "W-wouldn't I be intruding?"  He hung his head.  "And what would your family think of me?"  His stomach growled _'GO FOR GOD'S SAKE!  I'm starving to death!'_ but he wouldn't budge.

'Wow, he's more polite than I thought he would be.'  "Of course you wouldn't be intruding!  My mom makes a lot just in case we have unexpected guests."

"Well, if you're sure…" His stomach spoke the rest out as he blushed harder.

She giggled, but stopped when she realized that the sun had gone to the other side of the world a long time ago.  She looked at her watch: 8:20 PM.  "Oh no!  Inuyasha's probably pissed now!"  

"Who's Inu-"

"I'll tell when we get to the house!  We have to run!"  She grabbed her bags once more and, clutching onto the boy, ran for home.

"By the way," Kagome panted, looking at him, "my name is Kagome.  What's yours?"

He looked back at her.  "S… Saru.  My name's Saru."

"Well, c'mon Saru-kun, let's go!" 

His only response was another blush.

^_^; ^_^; ^_^; ^_^; ^_^;

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha, nor did I create the idea of this story.  I do, however, own Saru.   

Must-read Stories:

Bodyguards (IY), by Mizu-Crystal, humor/romance/action/adventure

Let the Music be Your Master (IY), by Greywolf, humor/romance/AU/action/drama

This Can't Be Good (IY), by Ithilwen K-Bane, humor/romance/action/adventure/confusion

Where do I belong? (DBZ), by Ice Angel, angst/drama/romance/action

The Field Trip or Murphy's Law; [What CAN go wrong WILL go wrong!] (DBZ), by DemonDancing, humor/Gohan-torture/romance/action

Everything by FrozenFlower (DBZ and more), genres vary 

Code Pink and various one-shots (IY), by EmeraldDragon, fluffy romance/drama/angst

Ja ne!  I hoped you appreciated it!


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